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BRAIN AND MENTHAL HEALTH Croat Med J. 2013;54:444-52 doi: 10.3325/cmj.2013.54.444

Availability of mental health service providers and suicide rates in Slovenia: a nationwide ecological study

Helena Korošec Jagodič1, Tatjana Rokavec2, Mark Agius3,4,5, Peter Pregelj6,7 Psychiatric Hospital Vojnik, Vojnik, Slovenia

1

Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

2

South Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust, Weller Wing, Bedford Hospital, Bedford, UK

3

Aim To investigate the influence of socioeconomic factors, mental health service availability, and prevalence of mental disorders on regional differences in the suicide rate in Slovenia. Methods The effects of different socioeconomic factors, mental health service availability, and mental disorders factors on suicide rates from 2000-2009 were analyzed using a general linear mixed model (GLMM). Pearson correlations were used to explore the direction and magnitude of associations. Results Among socioeconomic factors, unemployment rate ranked as the most powerful predictor of suicide and an increase of one unit in the unemployment rate increased regional suicide rate by 2.21 (β = 2.21, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.87-2.54, P